This past season was an overall success and my favorite year competing with the team.”

Megan Thiravong

Former Rochelle student-athlete Megan Thiravong closed out her junior season with the Saginaw Valley State University women’s golf team by stringing together some of her best rounds as a collegiate player. It was at the GLIAC Championship in Michigan, however, where Thiravong truly shined after being challenged to elevate her competitive edge to a new level.

With Saginaw Valley State fighting for an opportunity to advance to the match-play portion of the conference tournament, Thiravong fired her strongest 18-hole round of the season, shooting a team-best 74 on the second day of the tournament to lead the Cardinals to third place out of eight schools in stroke play. Much of that effort stemmed from a conversation Thiravong had with her new head coach, Mike Masten, who presented her with a difficult-but-achievable test.

“We were sitting dangerously close to the qualifying cut for the match-play portion of the tournament,” Thiravong said. “Coach Masten pulled me aside on the 11th hole and said, ‘Megan, you’re the only player I am telling this to because I know your playing style well. I need you to beat your competitors on every hole starting now.’ I did exactly that. I took every chance I was given to gain a stroke on my playing partners and swing our team into the semifinals.”

Thiravong ultimately finished fourth out of 43 players in the tournament and was named an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention for the first time in her collegiate career. The strong showing at the conference tournament capped off a solid junior campaign for Thiravong, who started in every match during both the fall and spring seasons. With her senior year on the horizon, Thiravong is seeking to transform her newfound competitive spirit into greater results.

“Coach Masten and I agreed to work on sharpening my competitive edge against my direct competition,” Thiravong said. “We noticed how I could focus more when focusing on incrementally overcoming my playing partners and striking when the iron is hot. As for our overall team, I want us to compete together at the NCAA regional and place within the top seven. I am confident in the skills of our upperclassmen and incoming freshmen.”

Thiravong shot a trio of stellar rounds during the GLIAC Championship, opening the tournament with a 76 and closing with another round of 74 during Saginaw Valley State’s semifinal match against Davenport. The former Lady Hub standout preceded the conference tournament with a team-best performance at the FIndianapolis Intercollegiate event at Chariot Run Golf Course in Laconia, Indiana, where she carded consecutive rounds of 78, 74 and 80 to take 12th overall.

“This past season was an overall success and my favorite year competing with the team,” Thiravong said. “Even though we had some tough fall finishes, coaches Masten and [Matt] Pumford always provided us with data-driven statistics and inspiring reflections to boost our confidence leading into the spring… Coach Masten lit a new kind of competitive flame in my spirit and he brought a different perspective that will pivot our program in future years.”

A four-time IHSA state qualifier and a two-time Interstate 8 Conference champion at Rochelle, Thiravong will step into the role of team captain during her senior year at Saginaw Valley State. It’s a role she’s quite familiar with, as Thiravong was a three-year captain and a three-time MVP award winner for the Hubs despite being the only girl on the team for most of her prep career. Thiravong’s success at RTHS has translated into a successful run at the NCAA Division II level.

“When coach Masten approached me on that 11th hole, I thought back to what coaches [Dave] Cartwright and [Glen] Mehrings taught me during my time with RTHS,” Thiravong said. “Coach Mehrings and coach Cartwright have been my initial support system and driving forces for competing in college. They both showed me how to compete against a field of much larger, stronger and more experienced players using techniques that were unique to me. We worked heavily on keeping a strong metal state while prioritizing accuracy over distance.”

Thiravong has been interning this summer as an improvement engineer with the Dow Chemical Company in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Thiravong, who’s currently studying for her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, said she has an offer to work as a production engineer at the Dow Chemical Company headquarters in Midland, Michigan after graduating next spring.